CVE-2026-80432: Missing authorization in the kitty drag and drop protocol allows a client to obtain dragged file contents without a drop
Missing Authorization in the drop handling path of the drag and drop protocol in kitty from 0.47.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to obtain the contents of files dragged over the window even when the user never completes the drop, because dropenqueuerequest() in kitty/dnd.c serves a drag data request without first checking the drop state of the window, so a client that issues the request while a drag is merely hovering receives the data offered for the drag. In the same file, dropleftchild(), which runs when the drag leaves the window without a drop having occurred, releases the offered MIME list but retains the pending request state, the open file descriptor and its main loop transfer timer, the directory handles, the URI list and the pending MIME name, so a client can continue to read through a retained directory handle, and an in-flight file transfer continues to stream, when no drag is in progress. The file contents are read from the filesystem by the kitty process itself using the paths the drag source offered. This results in disclosure of the contents of files the user moved over the window without ever releasing them into it.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
kittyto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 0.49.0
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which installations are affected?
Kitty versions from 0.47.0 before 0.49.0 are affected. The issue is in kitty's drag-and-drop handling path.
What does an attacker need to do to obtain data?
A program writing to the terminal must issue a drag-data request while the user is dragging files over the kitty window. The user does not need to complete or release the drop.
What data can be exposed?
The kitty process reads files from the filesystem using paths offered by the drag source, and the terminal client can receive those contents. If a drag leaves the window without a drop, retained request state can also allow an in-flight transfer to continue or data to be read through a retained directory handle.
How can exposure be reduced before updating?
Avoid dragging files or directories over kitty windows that are running programs not trusted to write to the terminal. The affected behavior is triggered while a drag is hovering over the window, not only after a completed drop.